British Cycling has unveiled the routes for this year’s British National Road Championships, set to take place in Tees Valley and North Yorkshire. The championships will feature dramatic finishes on the iconic Saltburn Bank, where the national champion’s jerseys will be fiercely contested over three days of racing from 19-23 June.
The time trials will open the event on Wednesday 19 June in North Yorkshire. Starting and finishing in Catterick at the Military Court Centre, riders will face a challenging course that includes the Throstle Gill Climb. Competitors will complete two laps, covering approximately 30km with 512m of climbing in total. Riders will be tested against the clock on this tough route.
On Friday 21 June, the circuit races will take place on a tight and technical 1.28km circuit around Darlington’s town centre. Starting and finishing on West Row, both the open and women’s races will last for 50 minutes plus five laps. The circuit is expected to deliver fast and thrilling racing, with 13m of elevation per lap.
The road races, concluding the championships on Sunday 23 June, will start and finish on Saltburn Bank. Last year, Fred Wright and Pfeiffer Georgi clinched memorable victories on this climb with a maximum gradient of 22%. The men’s race will cover seven laps of a 26km loop for a total of 182km, while the women will complete five laps for 130km. This year’s route extends out to Guisborough, passes through the old mining sites in Kilton, and loops back through Brotton before the riders descend to the coast and tackle the steep Saltburn Bank finish. The women’s race features 2,025m of climbing, and the men will face 2,835m over the challenging terrain.
Great Britain Cycling Team rider Charlie Tanfield, who also rides for Saint Piran, expressed his enthusiasm for the event. “I’m so excited to be back racing on home roads in Tees Valley this year. Saltburn Bank is steep and it’s over pretty quickly, but it made for an epic finish at last year’s race, so it’ll be really great to ride it again this year.”
Jonathan Day, Managing Director of British Cycling Events, praised the collaboration that made the event possible. “We’re delighted to be taking the British National Road Championships back to the streets of Tees Valley. Last year’s finish up Saltburn Bank was iconic and it’s fantastic to see that it will feature in this year’s road race once again. Heading to North Yorkshire for the time-trial will see riders tackle a challenging course as they race against the clock, while Darlington’s fast circuit will be a fantastic showcase. A huge thank you to Tees Valley Combined Authority for all their support as we welcome elite level cycling to the area.”
